


It's hard to be angry with you when you're so close

by SweetInsanityWrites (SweetInsanityArts)



Category: The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: Adopting a dog, Connor is helplessly gay, Fluff, I blame the RBB chat for this, Kevin really likes dogs, M/M, Oneshot, Post-Canon, We all need a hug, prompt, stray dog
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-11-13 11:53:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18031256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SweetInsanityArts/pseuds/SweetInsanityWrites
Summary: Based on the "imagine your OTP adopting a (stray) dog" prompt





	It's hard to be angry with you when you're so close

**Author's Note:**

> this is absolutely not proofread, I just had a lot of feelings and had to write something real fast before I exploded  
> enjoy some random fluffiness

 

It wasnt unusual for Connor to be woken early in the morning by loud noises, usually followed by either laughter or a panicked “sorry!”, depending on how many people had already gathered in the kitchen. 

Elder Cunningham in particular tended to drop things when making his breakfast.

 

Ever since they lost their official mission status, theyd been loosening rules around the house, leading to the Elders sleeping in or staying out late, even more now that the General had turned to the church and asked forgiveness.

Whatever church that was now. The locals seemed to have decided to make their own, altered version of the Latter Day Saints with Arnold Cunningham as their very own All-American-Prophet.

 

It had taken time for Connor to get used to this new order. Surprisingly, he’d found support in Elder Price. He supposed Kevin himself had had to make peace with losing his own faith after relying on the church and his reputation in it all his life. 

Even though the reasons for their struggles had been different, the boys still somewhat bonded over their shared experience of being a former golden boy turned outcast, at least in the eyes of the church. 

 

The downside of their bonding was how much harder it had become to keep his thoughts down. Kevin haunted his dreams, he kept crawling back into his mind, made his heart race and his chest flutter.

Everything about him drew him in. 

From the moment he’d met him, Connor had been inexplicably enchanted by the tall, handsome man. He could relate to the pride and eagerness, the slight vanity that came with the high status in the church, and he knew how blinding the success and the praise could be. He’d related to the other boy’s ambitiousness, though he’d judged the choices that followed quite harshly.

 

With their beliefs shifting and changing so much every day, Connor became to wonder if there was any chance he’d ever be forgiven for feeling the way he did.

Arnold would certainly say so. One of the first things he’d added to that odd book of his was an odd lovestory between Brigham Young and some guy called Skywalker. 

Connor wasn’t sure if he should be offended or moved.

 

Needless to say, things had been changing in their little village and it didnt seem to ever get easier. 

  
  
  


With a sigh, Elder McKinley crawled from his bed, finding his mission brother to still be soundly asleep next to him. How that guy managed to never be disturbed by the racket was a mystery to him.

 

He padded into the kitchen - common room, expecting to find dropped bowls or shattered glass and an Elder frantically cleaning up his mess. 

Instead, the kitchen looked empty. 

A flower pot had been knocked over, and several kitchen utensils had rolled off the table, but there was nobody to be seen.

What kind of idiot would make a mess in the kitchen and then run away?

 

Connor’s heart sped up.

What if it was a break.in? Should he alarm someone?

Who would even come to their aid, this fat out in the wilderness of Africa?

 

Forcing his breath to stay calm and quiet, he strained his ears.

There was an odd scratching sound coming from down the hallway. 

Carefully, the Elder followed the noise, his mind racing through self-defense techniques he barely remembered.

 

A soft voice wandered down the hall.

“Shush, you’ll wake the others!” 

Connor realized it came from Elder Cunningham and Elder Price’s room. 

 

Feeling a little more at ease, he pushed through the half opened door and stopped in his tracks.

 

Kevin Price was sitting crosslegged on the ground, petting a big, shaggy dog by his feet.

“Oh! Uh, Elder McKinley! I am so sorry, I hope I - uh - he -uh - we didnt wake you!”

He exclaimed, blushing.

 

“What is going on here, Elder Price?” Connor sounded harsher than he’d intended to. The shock and terror he’d been feeling just a few seconds earlier falling off in an odd mixture of rage and amusement.

Price bit his lip nervously. Something about the expression made Connor shudder.

“I found him on the market a few days ago. He was injured. I took care of him and now he wont leave me alone.” He shrugged and stared at the floor. “Arnold is spending the night over at Naba’s place again and … I felt lonely. So I let him in to stay with me. I’m very sorry.”

 

This certainly broke a few house rules, not to mention the risk of letting a stray animal inside, the diseases and pests that creature could carry… 

“I am sorry your Mission Brother is letting you down like this but that is no excuse to endanger everyone’s health with some wild animal that could be-” 

“But he’s safe to be around! The doctor took a look at him because of the injury and we gave him a treatment for the fleas, we washed his fur, and we even ordered some vaccines for him for when the next shipment of meds comes in!”

Kevin gave him an eager stare, his hand still curled in the dog’s pelt. 

“Please, Elder McKinley, he’s old and alone and he needs me.”

 

Connor realized the boy was close to tears. 

Slowly, he moved towards him, kneeling down to take a closer look at the stray. 

The dog did indeed look old, gray hair around his muzzle and eyes. He was fast asleep, snoring occasionally. 

“Did you name him?” The Elder asked, running his fingertips through the soft fur.

“Arnie.” Kevin said softly. 

“You named him after Elder Cunningham?”

“He’s my best friend.” He shrugged. “And the first real friend I’ve ever known.”

Connor sighed. With those large brown eyes looking at him pleadingly and the other boy’s hands so close to his own, he lost all ability to fight. 

“I hope you know how ridiculous this is, Kevin.” He said softly. 

 

The boy grinned. 

“You realize how you lose all authority when you call me by my first name?”

He said teasingly, leaning in closer. 

“It is hard to be angry with you when you’re so close.” 

 

Connor blushed. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud. 

Kevin dipped his head to the side, not unlike a confused puppy. 

“Your nifty little Mormon trick doesn’t work too well, does it?”

 

That was the cold, harsh reality. It never had worked well. Despite their best efforts, none of them had ever actually overcome their struggles. 

They’d cried in the solitude of their beds, they’d danced with the devil in their dreams and they’d all shouted their rage at Heaven when they thought nobody was watching.

And Connor was getting really tired of fighting.

 

“I am who I am. I tried so hard not to be. But I’m starting to think there might be no way of changing it.” He said hoarsely. “I apologize if that makes you uncomfortable. But I can’t help it. You’re … beautiful.” 

Unexpected tears stung his eyes. 

Suddenly, he was pressed against Kevin’s strong chest, his face buried in the thin fabric of his tshirt. It was soothing to feel his strong arms wrapped around him. Safe. Warm. Home.

“I’m sorry I said what I said when we first met.” The boy said softly. “There is nothing wrong with how you feel and there is nothing wrong with acting on it either.”

His voice was barely audible, his mouth half buried in Connor’s hair. 

“I want you to act on it.”

 

At first, Connor thought he’d misheard him.

He couldn’t possibly-? 

“I really like you, Connor.” Kevin said, this time with more security in his voice. 

He gently put his hand under Connor’s chin, lifting his head to look into his eyes. 

His words burned through Connor’s body, making his chest ache, his heart race, his head spin. 

“I-” He struggled to regain his voice. “I really like you, too.” He whispered.

 

Their kiss was clumsy and hesitant, neither of them having much experience, but the feeling skin on skin, the gentle touch and the whispered words of affection filled them both with safety and warmth, their fear and shame peeling away. 

They grew more confident, exploring each other’s mouths and bodies, their chest exploding with emotion.

 

Kevin pulled away slightly, letting out a small sigh. He pressed a kiss on Connor’s forehead. 

“You’re so beautiful.” He murmured against the soft hair. 

“You are … everything.” Connor responded, his head feeling airy. 

 

“Does that mean I get to keep the dog?


End file.
